Health related quality of life for stone formers

Urolithiasis is a common urological condition that causes significant pain and suffering. Until recently few studies had been done to examine how quality of life is affected in stone formers. We hypothesized that patients with multiple recurrent episodes of urolithiasis have worse health related quality of life. Thus, we identified specific factors that impact health related quality of life in patients with urolithiasis.

In an institutional review board approved study we recruited 386 patients through mailings and through the outpatient clinic who were evaluated at our institution for urolithiasis in the last 5 years. Each patient was asked to answer questionnaires on stone disease, including SF-36®, a validated 36-item health care quality of life survey.

Of the 386 patients recruited for study 115 responded to our inquiry. Variables such as surgical complications, time from last stone episode, number of emergency room visits and number of surgeries correlated with the SF-36 domains.

Urolithiasis is associated with severe physical and psychological effects that lead to clinically significant impairment in quality of life. Our findings confirm and expand the findings of previous groups showing the many ways in which stone formation can affect patient quality of life. Appreciation of these effects in the acute and chronic treatment settings may change the way that the disease is approached.